Ultra high frequency ionic discharge switch device



Dec. 12, 1950 A. L. SAMUEL 2,533,512

ULTRA HIGH FREQUENCY IONIC DISCHARGE SWITCH DEVICE Filed Sept. 26, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 lNl/E/VTOA 44.L.$14MUEL 8V I ATTORNEY Dec. 12, 1950 2,533,512

ULTRA HIGH [FREQUENCY IONIC DISCHARGE, SWITCH DEVICE A. 1.. SAMUEL Filed Sept. 26, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 L M% M A w M5 ui 5 /.L ..4 Z 8 A G 0 II ll/MWMVEW /MIWII V. F. B 2 m. v 4 Z G F ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 12, 1950 UNITED STATES PA ENT OFFICE 2,533,512 ULTRA HIGH FREQUENCY IONIC DISCHARGE SWITCH DEVICE Arthur L. Samuel, Summit, N. J assignor to Bell Telephone Laboratories, Incorporated, New

York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application September 26, 1945; Serial No. 618.762

9 Claims.

This invention relates to ionic discharge devices and more particularl to such devices of the gas discharge type especially suitable for switching purposes in ultra-high frequency transmission systems.

transmitter and receiver of such systems usually operate over a common wave transmission line, such as a wave guide channel, with a duplex antenna, proper selective control of the high frequency energy traversing the line is required in order to protect the respective receiver and transmitter alternately in the system from high voltage surges and energy lossduring the transmitting and receiving cycles.

When pulse generating energy supplied to the antenna by the transmitter, the receiver is by-passed through the short-circuiting action of a resonant gas-filled switching device, called a TR switch, to reduce the voltage applied to the receiver and thereby prevent the absorption of energy by the receiver. On the arrival of the reflected pulse energy to the system, from the distant object, it is expedient to effectively disconnect the transmitter and utilize the maximum strength of the signal to impress the results upon the receiver without substantial loss. This is accomplished by a second resonant gas-filled switching device, called an RT switch or anti-TR, switch, which short-circuits the transmitter and. permits the receiver to absorb practically the full strength of the returning pulse energy. A typical duplex transmission system operating on the above-mentioned principle is disclosed in my copending a ication, Serial No. 474,122, filed January 30, 1943.

While both resonant switching devices perform similar disconnect functions, the anti-TR switching device or transmitter disconnect switch must operate with a minimum of loss in the available power present during the receiving pulse cycle in spite of the fact that the transmitter reactance may series resonate with the anti-TR, switch. This requires a construction more exacting than the TR switching devices, particularly in broad-band systems, since the RT switch must present a resulting impedance mismatch to limit the power dissipated in the device during the high voltage transmitting period and also must operate readily during the low voltage or receiving period to short-circuit the pulse generating transmitter and thereby increase the ratio of input impedance to the line impedance.

An object of this invention is to efficiently 2 I control the breakdown characteristics of th switching device so that low loss is realized in the transmission system.

.Another object of the invention is to reduce leakage power in the discharge device and there- .by increase the resonance level of the discharge path in the device.

A further object of the invention is to maintain the impedance characteristics substantially constant, thereby to increase the operating life of the device.

Another object of the invention is to enable performance of the switching function of the system without manual tuning of the device to match the impedance of the impulse energy and to provide a device having a low-Q characteristic.

These objects are attained in accordance with features of this invention by providing a pretuned regulated discharge path in the device for controlling the discharge characteristics of the resonant short-circuiting impedance afforded by the disconnect switch in the transmission line. This is accomplished in a broad-band resonant transmitter disconnect device having a chamber filled with a gas at low pressure and provided with a transparent sealed window in one end presented to the path of the reflected energy wave and. constructed to constitute an inductive component of the resonant circuit of the device. Behind the window and enclosed in the vessel of the device is a planary spark-gap electrode, having a prescribed configuration to provide a restricted discharge gap, which functions to break down the gas and convert the high impedance system extant in the case of the unfired discharge to a low impedance network. This network defines a shunt path across the transmission line to form efiectively a short-circuiting disconnect means for the transmitting pulse generator. The spark-gap electrode is dimensioned to introduce the desired capacitance and inductive components in the shunt path formed by the network, to tune the device to the midband frequency. A resonator cavity is located in juxtaposition to the spark-gap electrode to tune the device to the limit frequencies of the broadband system in which it is used.

A feature of the invention relates to the assembly of the components in the device so that the discharge takes place at minimum power lev-v els, with low striking voltage and reduced power consumption, whereby operating life is prolonged and substantially constant operating characteristics are realized. This is accomplished by controlling the breakdown discharge in the device so that the spark-gap is easily ignited during the transmitting cycle.

Another feature of the invention relates to a further refinement of the spark-gap electrode in the device to prevent sputtering of the electrode and thereby preserve the electrical constants of the'resonant network in the device. This is ac-.

complished by providing a protective non-disintegrating coating or film on the sparking points of the electrode to minimize sputtering of the metal of the electrode and thereby insure stable characteristics in the device.

These and other features of the invention are set forth in greater detail in the following specification and shown in the accompanying drawmgs:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view, in cross-section, showing one form of the resonant spark-gap discharge device constructed in accordance with this invention, and the relationship of the elements within the casing;

Fig. 2 is another view of the device of- Fig. 1 partly in section and showing the configuration of the elements in a direction 90 degrees with respect to Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the device taken on the lines 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 illustrates another form of device constructed in accordance with the invention in a cross-sectional view showing the internal assembly of the elements;

Fig. 5 is a view in elevation, partly in crossseetion, of the device of Fig. 4 from a different angle;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the lower end of the device of Fig. 4 showing the configuration of the window seal constituting the closure end of the device;

Fig. 7 is an enlarged plan view of the spark-gap electrode, incorporated in the device of Fig. l, and showing the non-disintegrating coating applied to the spark points of the electrode; and

Fig. 8- is a cross-sectional view of the electrode taken on the line 8B of Fig. 7.

The RT or anti-TR switching device in ultrahigh frequency systems of the general type and organization noted heretofore must meet certain requirements to assure satisfactory performance and a minimum of loss of signal energy during the receiving periods. In addition to satisfaction of requirements of loss at low and high signal levels, the device should have low leakage power, low noise, operating characteristics substantially independent of temperature, long operating life and a prescribed operating band width. These functional requirements are met efficiently in the typical" constructions in accordance with this invention as shown in Figs. 1 and 4.

The details of assembly of the device of Figs. 1 to 3 involve an inverted cup-shaped metallic casing IIl' having a flange II affixed, for example by soldering, in a circular groove of an annular choke fitting or ring I2 having spaced semi-circular slots I3 for clamping the device or tube to a circular frame coupling, not shown, of a wave guide transmission line in proper relation to the magnetron oscillation generator, as set forth in the above-mentioned pending application.

The choke ring has a central oval opening I4 leading into a coaxial circular recess I5 which forms a seat for a punched metallic frame member I5 having a turned peripheral edge llsealed to the recess wall, preferably by solder I 8, and having a nodular inner rim I9 engaging the ring air-tight joint at the boundary of the rim I9 with ashort wave energy transparent window 20, formed of appropriate glass and sealed in the 1 oval aperture of the frame member I6. The win- I2 adjacent the opening I4, the frame member dow is sealed in the frame to form an outwardly bowed closure for the frame, although a substantially optically fiat window would serve the same purposes of this invention in so far as insuring efficient seal which would not develop strains liable to crack the sealed joint.

The oval window is so dimensioned as to constitute an inductive reactance over a preassigned wavelength range, e. g. from 3.13 to 3.53 centimeters, and is formed during the heat sealing step to press the window into contact with the Kovar frame member, which is also heated, preferably by high frequency induction methods, to insure a tight hermetic joint at the juncture of the glass and metal edges. The window 20 is made as large as practical with mechanical requirements so that the Q-charact'eristic is low and the vacuum-type window forms a nearly resonant impedance over a substantial, e, g. 12 per cent, frequency range. The window, frame, and choke ring, therefore, form an accurately dimensioned' closure for the casing of the device in which the punched frame member I6 readily compensates for heat cycle changes during operation and prevents undue stresses being set up in the vitreous transparent window sealed in the input end: of the device.

The nodular rim iii of the frame member also forms. a well on the internal surface of the frame for locating a pair of nested component's comprising an inner cup-shaped, pre-forme'd electrode 2i of oval configuration and having a curve-ct flange soldered in the" rim id, and a deeper cup-shaped inet'aI'l-ic chamber 22' of simi lar" configuration, likewise" soldered into the rim I9 to coaxially center these components in accurate spaced relation to the transparent window. The electrode 21 advantageously is formed of' a relatively thin metal, sucl r as copper of inch thickness, the thin metal being reen'forced by the cup-shaped formation or the electrode; Fhe plan-ary surface of the electrode, spaced from the window, is'provided with two'synimetri'eal t openings 23 and preferably circular, which the point of tang'ency are cut to" form a passageway or gap 25 of about .029 inch; The circular openings 23- and 24' and gap 25' of the electrode constitute an inductance and capacity, respectively, of a parallel resonant circuit which is ad'- ju'sted tobe resonant at a wavelength slightly beyond the long wavelength limit of't'he operating band. The deeper cup-shaped component 22", also formed of copper, defines a cavity'resona tor providing an additional inductance to resonate the entirestructure to the mid-band frequency. The cup shaped member 2'2 is provided with a central aperture 2'6 to form a restricted outlet between the successive cavities ii erpose'd bet'ween the window; electrode" and aumliary' chain ber and the large chamber in'tlie' casing 53; The latter contains "a filling of inert gassuch as argon, at a pressure from 5 to 50 millimeters of mercury. The gas filling is introduced through an offset metallic tubulation 2? soldered in the top wall of the casing i a, after proper exhaust of the c'as' inc; and the tribulation is sealed o'iib' pinching, as shown. at 23, Fig; l, with a sealing, tool.

The optimum pressure of gas in the device depends on the power consumption for which the device is designed. For lowest power absorbed and consequently for longer life a pressure of'O levels of at least liii) over similar device without the electrode. The critical gas pressure requirements of the device are regulated predetermined by providing an auxiliary spark-gap extending into the gas space to measure the pressure and determine the appropriate This is accomplished by providing a coaxial spark-gap extending into the top of the casing it as represented by a central metallic tubing 25 preferably of Kovar, which is soldered intermediate its ends into an opening in the casing, with a central conductor 3?: having an enlarged sparking head 8i adjacent the inner end of the tubing coaxially extending through the tubing and being ealed therein by a glass bead 32.

To meet the necessary edge band impedance requirements in a broad-band system. of the type designated, a low Q-constructicn is essential, Q being defined as the ratio of inductance to resistance in the c' cuit. On the other hand impedance transformation is desirable to reduce the power level required to fire the discharge gap and to minimize the gas disharge power after the discharge has been established. This necessarily increases the Q. problem, then, is in securing as large a voltage step up I as is consistent with the band width requirements. This is accomplished by correlating the electrical parameters of the components of the device by dimensional determination of the elem its to satisfy the circuit requirements. The Q of the window is made low as possible by making the physical dimensions in the direction of the E component of the field high as possible consistent with mechanical limitations, and the spark gap electrode is made very thin, i. e., .619 inch and spaced from the window to introduce the desired series inductance. This is accompanied by an appreciable reduction in the value of the capacitance because of the decrease in the frin pg fields through the glass window. Because of. this effect, an appreciable voltage step-up is possible without introducing an increase in Q.

In addition to low inductance vs. resistance characteristic for broad-band operation, the RT switching device should have a low power loss in the gas discharge and the input should be large in the unfired state to attain optimum preformance in the resonant circuit of the system. This is accomplished by correlating the values of inductance and capacity or the window 2i), electrode 25 and cavity chamber toin; gether with the space relation between these elements so that the combined structure functions as a shunt resonant circuit with definite values for edge-band impedance. This impedance is in series with the transmitter and effectively opencircuits the transmitting branch of the system, so that practically no energy loss is absorbed in the generator. When the discharge is fired in the restricted gap 25 of the internal spark-gap electrode, the shunt path or" the electrode shortcircuits the high series impedance thereby presenting a low impedance network for the transmitting signal energy.

Another form of the invention is shown in Fig.

4, which embodies an elongated rectangular metallic casing 33 having an apertured closure wall 34 on one end for the location of the exhaust tubulation 21 and the coaxial spark-gap tube 29. The opposite end of the casing has a reduced wall section 35 with a rearwardly extending slot 36 around the circumference of the casing to receive a punched or stamped frame cap member or closure 31. The cap member or closure 3'! has its rim turned into the slot 36, the member or closure being soldered or brazed to the'casing to form a tight seal. The cap 31 advantageously is formed of Kovar alloy to match the expansion characteristics of the glass window 20 which is hermetically sealed thereto and completes the input end of the device for initiating the breakdown of the gaseous discharge path in the device.

Within the casing 33 and adjacent the transparent window closure are four metallic wall inserts 3B abutting against the internal wallof the casing and resting against the frame cap 31 to form a wall boundary of less diameter than the casing. These inserts are rigidly fixed in position, for example by solder, to form spacers for a planary electrode 39, of thin copper sheet, similar to the electrode 2 I, described in connection with Fig. 1, and having the tangent circular cut-out openings 23 and 24 and the restricted spark-gap 25 to form a pair of opposed pointed projections 40 and M centrally located behind the window 20. The electrode is seated in slots 42 in the inserts 38 to proportion the cavity between the window and the electrode so that the desired inductance is introduced in the resonant circuit of the device. The inserts also together with an apertured partition member 43 provide an additional cavity or chamber in the rear of the sparkgap electrode 39 to form an auxiliary resonant impedance to tune the device to the desired edgeband frequency limits. The casing is filled with a desired inert gas, such as argon, at an appropriate pressure for the power rating of the device.

The relatively thin copper spark-gap electrode, while materially enhancing the rapid breakdown of the high impedance discharge path of the device, necessarily is subjected to considerable heating effect due to the discharge and. the spark points 40 and 4| may be eroded by sputtering of metal. Such action changes the capacitance provided by the restricted gap and materially alters the shunt path characteristics of the network circuit. The sputtering or erosion of the delicate points of the electrode may be substantially prevented by coating the spark points with a non-disintegrating film or layer, such as of vitreous material 44, which may be applied as a coating of powdered glass in a suitable binder and heated. in an oxidizing atmosphere. This is shown in Figs. 7 and 8 which represent the form of electrode embodied in the device of Fig. 1, although the glaze coating may be applied to the electrode 39 in Fig. 4, for the same purpose. The coating 44, as shown in Fig. 8, completely embeds the points in the protective coveringwhich effectively prevents sputtering of the metallic electrode points and materially lengthens the operating life of the device.

While the invention has been disclosed in various aspects to perform the functional operations of switching the low voltage signal energy in broad-band transmission systems, it is, of course, understood that various changes may be made defined in the appended claims.

means What is claimed is;

1. An ionic discharge device comprising a hoilow metallic casing open at one end, an annular mounting plate secured to said open end, a metallic frame located in a recess of said plate, a window hermetically sealed in said frame and closing the open end of said casing, a gas filling at low pressure in said casing, a ring member mounted within said casing adjacent and coaxial with said window, a planary electrode element supported by said ring and opposite said window, said element having symmetrical cut-out portions converging toward the center thereof to form projections separated by a short gap, and a cavity resonator chamber separating said electrode element from the remainder of the space in said casing, said chamber having an aperture opening into said casing.

2. An ionic discharge device comprising a hole low metallic casing open at one end, an apertured closure attached to said open end, a window hermetically sealed in said closure, a filling of inert gas within said casing at reduced pressure, a hollow element secured in said casing and forming an apertured partition between said closure and the remainder of said casing, and a thin plate electrode having a spark-gap, mounted on said element and extending across said window.

3. An ionic discharge device comprising a hollow metallic casing open at one end, an apertured closure attached to said open end, a window hermetically sealed in said closure, a filling of inert gas within said casing at reduced pressure, a hollow element secured in said casing and forming an apertured partition between said closure and the remainder of said casing, and a thin plate electrode mounted adjacent said element and having opposed twin point projections forming a spark-gap centrally adjacent said window, said spark gap electrode having inductive and capacitive components forming a shunt reactance for tuning said device to a prescribed frequency.

4. An ionic discharge device comprising a hollow metallic casing open at one end, an apertured closure attached to said open end, a window hermetically sealed in said closure, a filling of inert gas within said case at reduced pressure, a hollow element secured in said casingand forming an apertured partition between said closure and the remainder of said casing, and a thin plate electrode mounted in said element and having a pair of intermeshed symmetrical openings forming projections separated by a short gap to initiate breakdown in the discharge of said device.

5. An ionic discharge device comprising a hollow metallic casing open at one end, an apertured closure attached to said open end, a window hermetically sealed in said closure, a filling of inert gas within said casing at reduced pressure, a hollow element secured in said cas ng and forming an apertured partition between said closure and the remainder of said casing, a thin plate electrode mounted in said element having opposed metal points forming a spark-gap centrally adjacent said window, and a protective layer on said points.

6. An ion): discharge device comprising a hole low metallic casing open at one end, an apertured cl ure tached to said op n end, a window hermetically sealed in said closure, 2. filling of gas within said casing at reduced pressure, a

hollow element secured in said casing having an- 8. aperture opening into said casing, a thin metal plate electrode mounted in said element and having opposed twin points forming a spark-gap adjacent said window, and a vitreous coating applied to said points to prevent sputtering of metal to cloud said window.

7. A gas-filled tuned switching device comprising a hollow metallic casing having an open end, an annular metallic closure extending across the open end of said casing and forming a coupling choke for said device, a sheet metal frame member centrally mounted in said closure and having a central oval opening, a window hermetically sealed in said opening, a filling of argon gas in said casing at a pressure of the order of 40 millimeters of mercury, an inverted cup-shaped element conforming in dimensions to said window area and secured to said frame to constitute a partition within said casing having an aperture opening into said casing, and a metallic disc electrode disposed between said window and said cup member having coplanar projections in opposed relation centrally disposed behind said Window, said electrode having rim portions spacing said electrode from said frame.

8. A tuned gas discharge switching device comprising a rectangular casing open at one end, an apertured cap closure aflixed to said open end, a substantially fiat window hermetically sealed in said cap closure, a filling of argon gas in said casing at a pressure of the order 40 millimeters of mercury, a partition wall in said casing separating said window space from the main gas space to form a resonating chamber, said wall having a restricted aperture opening into casing, and a thin metallic plate electrode interposed between said partition and said window, said electrode having a pair of tangent openings in convergent relation at the point of tangency and forming a restricted gap centrally behind said window.

9. A tuned gas discharge switching device comprising a rectangular metallic casing open at one end, an apertured cap closure extending across said open end, a glass window hermetically sealed in said closure, inserts mounted in said casing adjacent said window having slotted portions facing toward the interior of said casing, a metallic plate having a central restricted aperture and mounted on said inserts to form a resonator chamber opening into said casing, and a thin metallic electrode engaging said slotted portions and spacing said electrode from said window and having twin symmetrical cut-out portions forming a pair of opposed pointed projections having a restricted gap therebetween centrally located behind said window.

ARTHUR L. SAMUEL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,106,770 Southworth et al. Feb. 1, 1938 2,288,861 Walrous Jr. July 7, 1942 2,404,116 Wolowicz et al July 16, 1946 2,413,171 Clifford et al. Dec. 24, 1946 2,413,963 Fiske et a1. Jan. 7, 1947 2,416,168 Fiske Feb. 18, 1947 2,427,089 Clifford Sept. 9, 1947 

